Photo by: Samuel Marshall/Eric Evans Photography
Prakel Named to Academic All-America First Team
06/20/18 | Track and Field
EUGENE, Ore. – Middle distance runner Sam Prakel added one final academic honor to his long list of accolades on Thursday as the Oregon track and field mainstay was named a Google Cloud first-team academic all-American by CoSIDA.
Prakel, who just recently graduated and on Wednesday signed professionally with Total Sports US, caps one of the greatest academic careers in UO history with his second first-team academic all-America honor. Prakel was a first-team selection in 2016, when he also won the NCAA Elite 90 Award for indoor track and field.
"I can't say enough about Sam and what he's meant to the Ducks over the last five years," said head coach Robert Johnson. "He's going to be a guy that you hear about doing big things in the world moving forward, and we're thrilled for him to get a professional contract. We're definitely going to miss his leadership next year."
The Pac-12 men's scholar athlete of the year for cross country during the fall, Prakel finished his illustrious career with an astounding 3.89 GPA as a biochemistry major. He was a first-team Pac-12 all-academic honoree in both cross country and track and field as a redshirt senior, giving him seven career Pac-12 all-academic first team awards.
Prakel is one of 17 UO men in program history to earn academic all-America status, and the seventh to receive the honor more than once. The last Duck to earn multiple academic all-America awards was Galen Rupp, who is the program's lone three-time recipient (2006, 07, 09).
In addition to his lengthy list of achievements in the classroom, Prakel closed his collegiate career as one of the more accomplished middle distance runners to come through Oregon. He won the 2018 Pac-12 title in the 1,500 meters and scored at the NCAA level seven times on the track throughout his career, headlined by a third-place finish in the mile at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Prakel ranks third all-time at Oregon in the mile (3:56.89) and sixth all-time in the 1,500 (3:36.84).
Prakel will compete professionally for the first time this weekend at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The Versailles, Ohio, native will run in the first round of the 1,500 meters today at 1:55 p.m. PT.
SAM PRAKEL'S CAREER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
- Two-Time CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team (2016, 18)
- NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner (2016 Indoor Track & Field)
- Three-Time CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team (2016, 17, 18)
- Pac-12 Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year (2017)
- Four-Time Pac-12 Cross Country All-Academic First Team (2014, 15, 16, 17)
- Three-Time Pac-12 Track & Field All-Academic First Team (2016, 17, 18)
Prakel, who just recently graduated and on Wednesday signed professionally with Total Sports US, caps one of the greatest academic careers in UO history with his second first-team academic all-America honor. Prakel was a first-team selection in 2016, when he also won the NCAA Elite 90 Award for indoor track and field.
"I can't say enough about Sam and what he's meant to the Ducks over the last five years," said head coach Robert Johnson. "He's going to be a guy that you hear about doing big things in the world moving forward, and we're thrilled for him to get a professional contract. We're definitely going to miss his leadership next year."
The Pac-12 men's scholar athlete of the year for cross country during the fall, Prakel finished his illustrious career with an astounding 3.89 GPA as a biochemistry major. He was a first-team Pac-12 all-academic honoree in both cross country and track and field as a redshirt senior, giving him seven career Pac-12 all-academic first team awards.
Prakel is one of 17 UO men in program history to earn academic all-America status, and the seventh to receive the honor more than once. The last Duck to earn multiple academic all-America awards was Galen Rupp, who is the program's lone three-time recipient (2006, 07, 09).
In addition to his lengthy list of achievements in the classroom, Prakel closed his collegiate career as one of the more accomplished middle distance runners to come through Oregon. He won the 2018 Pac-12 title in the 1,500 meters and scored at the NCAA level seven times on the track throughout his career, headlined by a third-place finish in the mile at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Championships. Prakel ranks third all-time at Oregon in the mile (3:56.89) and sixth all-time in the 1,500 (3:36.84).
Prakel will compete professionally for the first time this weekend at the USATF Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa. The Versailles, Ohio, native will run in the first round of the 1,500 meters today at 1:55 p.m. PT.
SAM PRAKEL'S CAREER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
- Two-Time CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team (2016, 18)
- NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner (2016 Indoor Track & Field)
- Three-Time CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 First Team (2016, 17, 18)
- Pac-12 Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year (2017)
- Four-Time Pac-12 Cross Country All-Academic First Team (2014, 15, 16, 17)
- Three-Time Pac-12 Track & Field All-Academic First Team (2016, 17, 18)
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MD
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